Band May Soon Pay the Price for Gay Stunt During Music Festival
Every whiny LGBT activist needs to take a nice, long look at what just happened in Malaysia — and should immediately quit complaining about being “persecuted” in America.
The Good Vibes Festival is currently going on in Malaysia — or was going on before the government shut the festival down due to a pro-gay stunt from the band “The 1975.”
To wit, in July, the band’s frontman (and ex-Taylor Swift beau) Matt Healy kissed a bandmate onstage as some sort of apparent protest that not every country is so willing to indulge in depravity.
WARNING: The following video contains imagery the viewer may find disturbing
The 1975 has been banned from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia after Matty Healy and bandmate Ross MacDonald kissed on-stage during their set at Good Vibes Festival.
Before the kiss, Healy gave a speech on his disappointment in the country’s discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community. pic.twitter.com/XcHuPHiYr5
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 21, 2023
That little stunt (and in fairness to Healy, compared to some other far-left musical stunts, his was relatively mild) led to not only his gig being abruptly canceled, but the entire event as well.
Shortly after the late July incident, the festival’s organizers took to social media to release a statement and explain what had happened:
View this post on Instagram
“This decision adhered to the immediate cancellation directive issued at 1:20 PM, 22 July 2023, by the Ministry of Communications and Digital. The Ministry has underlined its unwavering stance against parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws,” the statement read in part.
On top of that, per Variety, The 1975 is banned from ever playing in Malaysia again.
Given Healy’s faux-tough guy act at the expense of the Malaysian government, it’s not hard to see why they banished the band.
“I don’t see the f***ing point… of inviting the 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,” Healy said before the kiss, per Variety. “I’m sorry if that offends you, and you’re religious… but your government are a bunch of f***ing r——. I don’t care anymore. If you push, I’m gonna push back. I’m not in the f***ing mood.”
So why is this almost month-old incident being dredged up anew?
Because the Malaysian government now wants its pound of (fiscal) flesh.
According to Variety, the organizers of the “Good Vibes Festival” are seeking “over $2 million” in damages from The 1975.
First, that’s going to be one expensive kiss.
Second, pardon this writer for being completely unable to conjure up a shred of sympathy for the band in this case.
Sorry leftists, you can’t preach about respecting alternative viewpoints and different cultures (and rail against cultural appropriation), and have any problem with what the Malaysian government did.
Because we all know that if, let’s say, Oliver Anthony was kicked out of the Country Music Awards because he refuses to dance with drag queens people on-stage, the left would offer little more than uproarious applause.
For The 1975, apart from any societal ills, the group seems to have some legal woes at hand as well, at least according to a statement provided to Variety by Future Sound Asia (the organizers of the festival) attorney David Matthew.
“They entered into a binding contract with Future Sound Asia to perform and the position of Future Sound Asia, among others, is that this contractual obligation was breached,” Matthew said in his statement. “Further, Mr. Healy’s representative categorically provided a pre-show written assurance that Mr. Healy and The 1975’s live performance ‘shall adhere to all local guidelines and regulations’ during their set in Malaysia. Unfortunately, the assurance was ignored.”
Additionally, Matthew blasted the band for thinking of its own agenda over the well-being of small businesses.
“[The 1975’s] actions have had repercussions on local artists and small businesses, who relied on the festival for creative opportunities and their livelihoods,” he said.
According to the most recent social media post from the Good Vibes Festival, a site will be launched tomorrow to help customers seek refunds.
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